High chance of showers

Simplistic mechanics don't always make for a simple game. That's a maxim that should be plastered over the wall of anyone thinking about building a game for an iOS device. Filling up a screen with buttons doesn't add depth to a player's experience - more often than not it spoils it.

Look at Kumo Lumo, a game which doesn't really have any buttons but still manages to entice you in to its world. The way it holds you hostage with addictive score-chasing gameplay is never endangered by its single-finger controls. If anything it's enriched by them.

This is a game made by people who understand their platform perfectly, and have managed to weave together a title that's full of spirit, pluck, and fun.

Rain dance

You play as Kumo Lumo, a cloud who's floating around an imperilled world. It's your job to use rain and lightning to save the paranoid earth from the invaders who are trying to turn it into a barren wasteland.

There are two ways to travel around the globe. You can either spin the planet itself by swiping on the ground at the bottom of the screen, or you can drag Kumo Lumo around with a finger for more precise control.

Tapping Kumo makes it rain a few drops - a skill you'll need to entice forests to grow and wrangle sleeping mountain ranges out of the ground. Rain is also one of your weapons against the black creatures that are threatening your home.

The amount of precipitation in your fluffy white body also represents your health - rain too much and take a hit from the jagged black clouds that patrol the sky and it's Game Over. You can replenish your stocks by catching smaller clouds, which occur far more frequently once you've got a few forests built.

Cloudy outlook

As the game progress you'll get another weapon in your arsenal - lightning bolts. These can be used to shock invaders, or to destroy the ash-spewing volcanos that burst up from the ground.

There are plenty of levels to work your way through, each with its own objective. Sometimes you need to put out a set number of fires, other times you have to destroy a set number of evil minions.

Finishing a level quickly won't get you the best score. A bar at the top-right of the screen shows you how many stars you're going to earn, and it only fills up if you're sprouting forests, smiling foes, and generally doing a decent job of guarding the world from evil.

You can polish most levels off in a couple of minutes, but getting three stars on all of them is about quick thinking and dancing with catastrophe. You'll need to balance taking down foes and growing trees with making sure you've got enough rain in your cloud. It makes for an intriguing challenge.

Circle of life

Kumo Lumo is a class act. It's gorgeous to look at, intuitive to play, and strikes a balance between challenge and ease of play that means there's something here for everyone.

There's plenty of content, too, with more than 30 levels to work your way through, coupled with an overwhelming urge to see what goes wrong next on Kumo's little world.

This is a charming, unique adventure, and it proves that working within the limitations imposed by the device you're developing for is the best way to create enduring gaming experiences.